Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Brain Food - 8/18/2010
I got backed up a bit in the past week but I am back on the attack...
Got sleep?
Click here for a great blog post on improving sleep quality. As someone who struggles to get good quality sleep himself, this article has lots of great tips on how to maximize snooze time.
Beware the fitness infomercial - they are the devil!
This is a snarky video posted by Consumer Reports on the viability of the Ab Coaster machine and how wonderful it is as an ab "developer". Spoiler - IT SUCKS! You can pretty much lump in any other infomercial fitness product (except P90X) into this category.
Hey let's waste food and money - AWESOME!
I included this article solely for the fact that it bugs me that many people throw out food based on an arbitrary number printed on a package despite it being well known that it is completely arbitrary! To compound this silliness, the numbers are often influenced by government standards. If you follow the industry, the government is not the most reliable source for health and wellness information. If you think it is, you need to get out from under the rock you live under.
Run fattie run! Seriously?!?!
This video, which features Mike Golic "passing" the 300 yd shuttle test that the Redskins' Albert Haynesworth failed three times, is funny to me because it illustrates the circus that surrounded the whole event. I was really surprised at the continuous media coverage of it all - that test is not THAT hard people. I will admit that as a closeted 'Skins fan, Ol' Albert came out looking the fool on this one though. Final strength coach geek thought: Golic didn't really pass it - he kept missing lines! Haha
Some random nutrition tips...
I included this article because of Tip #15, which deals with an interesting idea about following a cheat day with a fast day. I am going to try it one of these days myself. Reader forewarned - some off color language is used in the article.
Coordination in young athletes
This guest blog post by Brian Grasso on Eric Cressey's site was interesting to me because it deals with an under appreciated and poorly understood aspect of performance training for young athletes. Dear youth coaches - it's not always about running, crappy push ups, and sit ups!
Does aspartame cause Parkinson's?
This is an interesting article about the possible link between aspartame (think diet sodas) and Parkinson's disease, using Michael Fox's story as its vehicle. It has a bit of witch hunt/conspiracy theory feel to it but it is definitely interesting.
Got sleep?
Click here for a great blog post on improving sleep quality. As someone who struggles to get good quality sleep himself, this article has lots of great tips on how to maximize snooze time.
Beware the fitness infomercial - they are the devil!
This is a snarky video posted by Consumer Reports on the viability of the Ab Coaster machine and how wonderful it is as an ab "developer". Spoiler - IT SUCKS! You can pretty much lump in any other infomercial fitness product (except P90X) into this category.
Hey let's waste food and money - AWESOME!
I included this article solely for the fact that it bugs me that many people throw out food based on an arbitrary number printed on a package despite it being well known that it is completely arbitrary! To compound this silliness, the numbers are often influenced by government standards. If you follow the industry, the government is not the most reliable source for health and wellness information. If you think it is, you need to get out from under the rock you live under.
Run fattie run! Seriously?!?!
This video, which features Mike Golic "passing" the 300 yd shuttle test that the Redskins' Albert Haynesworth failed three times, is funny to me because it illustrates the circus that surrounded the whole event. I was really surprised at the continuous media coverage of it all - that test is not THAT hard people. I will admit that as a closeted 'Skins fan, Ol' Albert came out looking the fool on this one though. Final strength coach geek thought: Golic didn't really pass it - he kept missing lines! Haha
Some random nutrition tips...
I included this article because of Tip #15, which deals with an interesting idea about following a cheat day with a fast day. I am going to try it one of these days myself. Reader forewarned - some off color language is used in the article.
Coordination in young athletes
This guest blog post by Brian Grasso on Eric Cressey's site was interesting to me because it deals with an under appreciated and poorly understood aspect of performance training for young athletes. Dear youth coaches - it's not always about running, crappy push ups, and sit ups!
Does aspartame cause Parkinson's?
This is an interesting article about the possible link between aspartame (think diet sodas) and Parkinson's disease, using Michael Fox's story as its vehicle. It has a bit of witch hunt/conspiracy theory feel to it but it is definitely interesting.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
FPT is getting a new home!
Here are some pictures of the progress on FPT's new home, which is scheduled to open sometime in the fall!
Week 1 - Demolition!
Week 1 - Demolition!
Brain Food #3 - 8/11/10
Can you do a real "push up"?
Click here for a great video from Eric Cressey on what a correct push up should look like. Trust me - it's way harder than it looks!
Bodyweight as a pitching velocity predictor?
This article, from Eric Cressey again, talks about the correlation he has observed between bodyweight and pitching velocity. His basic premise is that when pitchers maintain their bodyweight (lean body weight not fat weight) they are more consistent in the high end of their velocity range. When they don't (i.e. eating poorly), their velocity falls off and becomes inconsistent. Another great reason to re-tool your eating habits!
Rugby sucks - physiologically speaking that is...
Very cool article describing the typical fitness demands of a high level rugby player - put "rugby fitness" in a whole new perspective for me. Good thing I am pushing the prowler so much these days!
How to tell if an exercise sucks...BODY BLADES RULE!
This article breaks down how to rate a particular exercise for inclusion into your program. This author has a particularly fondness for the Body Blade I think...haha
Organic Meat?
I have never heard of Paul Apple before but he does a great job of breaking down the relative merits of eating "organic" meat. I know, I know - that sounds like an oxymoron but he goes into great detail on what "organic meat" actually is and all of the cost/benefits of the various choices you have. He also talks about organic milk, cheese, and eggs, which are by extension "meat products". Good stuff all around.
Who really has the JUICE?
This article is from the T-Nation archives and discusses the idea that African-Americans are better suited for athletics than other races, particularly sprints, jumps and sports that emphasize these skills (Football & Basketball). The authors back up this often controversial idea with lots of research. I was actually surprised that I had never seen this article before since it was published in 1998!
Click here for a great video from Eric Cressey on what a correct push up should look like. Trust me - it's way harder than it looks!
Bodyweight as a pitching velocity predictor?
This article, from Eric Cressey again, talks about the correlation he has observed between bodyweight and pitching velocity. His basic premise is that when pitchers maintain their bodyweight (lean body weight not fat weight) they are more consistent in the high end of their velocity range. When they don't (i.e. eating poorly), their velocity falls off and becomes inconsistent. Another great reason to re-tool your eating habits!
Rugby sucks - physiologically speaking that is...
Very cool article describing the typical fitness demands of a high level rugby player - put "rugby fitness" in a whole new perspective for me. Good thing I am pushing the prowler so much these days!
How to tell if an exercise sucks...BODY BLADES RULE!
This article breaks down how to rate a particular exercise for inclusion into your program. This author has a particularly fondness for the Body Blade I think...haha
Organic Meat?
I have never heard of Paul Apple before but he does a great job of breaking down the relative merits of eating "organic" meat. I know, I know - that sounds like an oxymoron but he goes into great detail on what "organic meat" actually is and all of the cost/benefits of the various choices you have. He also talks about organic milk, cheese, and eggs, which are by extension "meat products". Good stuff all around.
Who really has the JUICE?
This article is from the T-Nation archives and discusses the idea that African-Americans are better suited for athletics than other races, particularly sprints, jumps and sports that emphasize these skills (Football & Basketball). The authors back up this often controversial idea with lots of research. I was actually surprised that I had never seen this article before since it was published in 1998!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Brain Food - 8/3/10
What do the "traps" do after all?
The traps are traditionally thought of as the "shrug" muscles (elevators of the shoulder). However, recent studies have shown that these traditional views don't correlate to how the traps really function during shoulder movement, which show the traps assisting in lateral and rotational movements of the shoulder girdle/joint. As Coach Nick points out, this article is really dense with advanced anatomical terms and descriptions so be forewarned!
http://nicktumminello.com/2010/07/the-truth-about-the-trapezius-muscle-part-1-upper-and-mid-traps/
“An exercise is not deemed functional by the way it looks but by what it produces.”
This is a good article on why powerlifting (squat, deadlift, bench) should be used to train athletes. While I don't think athletes' training programs should dominated by the powerlifting style, there is alot to be said for being strong. #4 is perhaps the best brief description of the value of deadlifting for the athlete that I have read yet. This is why I use deadlift as my preferred lift for my advanced kids instead of the squat.
http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/sports-training/powerlifting-for-sport-five-reasons-why-your-athletes-should-be-doing-it/
"Toning" Shoes - Does that sound suspect to anyone?
Another prolific blogger I follow, Bret Contreras, found this article from A.C.E. shredding the idea that toning shoes actually do anything at all. Shame on Joe Montana!
http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/toningshoes072010.pdf
A Critical Review of the "Reverse Hyper" Exercise by Mike Robertson
This article does a great job discussing the practical application (and potential misapplications) of the Reverse Hyper.
http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/rebuilding-the-reverse-hyper
Runners Beware?
Some great points from Mike Robertson on why running may be bad for your health (well some people anyways)
http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/distance-running-is-it-healthy/
The traps are traditionally thought of as the "shrug" muscles (elevators of the shoulder). However, recent studies have shown that these traditional views don't correlate to how the traps really function during shoulder movement, which show the traps assisting in lateral and rotational movements of the shoulder girdle/joint. As Coach Nick points out, this article is really dense with advanced anatomical terms and descriptions so be forewarned!
http://nicktumminello.com/2010/07/the-truth-about-the-trapezius-muscle-part-1-upper-and-mid-traps/
“An exercise is not deemed functional by the way it looks but by what it produces.”
This is a good article on why powerlifting (squat, deadlift, bench) should be used to train athletes. While I don't think athletes' training programs should dominated by the powerlifting style, there is alot to be said for being strong. #4 is perhaps the best brief description of the value of deadlifting for the athlete that I have read yet. This is why I use deadlift as my preferred lift for my advanced kids instead of the squat.
http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/sports-training/powerlifting-for-sport-five-reasons-why-your-athletes-should-be-doing-it/
"Toning" Shoes - Does that sound suspect to anyone?
Another prolific blogger I follow, Bret Contreras, found this article from A.C.E. shredding the idea that toning shoes actually do anything at all. Shame on Joe Montana!
http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/toningshoes072010.pdf
A Critical Review of the "Reverse Hyper" Exercise by Mike Robertson
This article does a great job discussing the practical application (and potential misapplications) of the Reverse Hyper.
http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/rebuilding-the-reverse-hyper
Runners Beware?
Some great points from Mike Robertson on why running may be bad for your health (well some people anyways)
http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/distance-running-is-it-healthy/
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Summer Awards at FPT
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| Jackie Baird - Summer Deadlift Champion (265lbs) |
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| Kalyn Helton - 1st FPT athlete to touch 10 ft |
 | |
| Danielle Moore - Summer "Stud" Award (Red Bank H.S.) |
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| Allie Jennings - Summer "Stud" Award (Signal Moutain H.S.) |
August's Featured Athlete at FPT
This month's honor goes to Kara Headrick - a freshman at S.E. Whitfield.
To read more about her - Click Here
To read more about her - Click Here
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